Cavendish ready for Kittel smack-down in Cali.

He’s got everything he needs for success – he’s rounding into hyper-speed form, he is the official celebrity spokesperson for the Pistachio but board and he has a sick Marcel Kittel to beat up.

This should be a nice week for Cavendish as he cruises around California, winning a sprint or two, grinning his grin and offering a few words of commiseration (right!) to the poor German with the massive thighs who destroyed him in the Tour de France.

Marcel has a cold. Not just any cold, the January-February-March-April-May cold that he just can’t seem to shake. He didn’t far well in the Tour Down Under and things thing downhill after that. Qatar was a wash and he pulled out of Tirreno-Adriatico and Scheldeprijs.

In other words, Cav can’t wait to see him, say hi, crush him in a few sprints. As Cav likes to say, he likes winning. California is made for big stars and Hollywood size performances and like the slew of Comic Book superhero movies now taking over the movie industry, the Revenge of the Manxman should play well with audiences.

Yes, the Wrath of the Angry Pistachio will be in full force. Kittel couldn’t make it through one stage of the Tour of Yorkshire before giving up. You know how excited that makes Cavendish? He’s already promised his little princess Delilah that he would kill Kittel and bring back the German’s blonde scalp back to hang on her wall.

This should be fun to watch. Kittel trying to downplay a lack of wattage and Cavendish trying not to overplay his victory. This is the pre-Tour de France psychological games and he plans to mess with as much mind as possible.

Here is the first sentence description of stage one around Sacramento:”Fast and flat, with water and bridges galore, Stage 1 is destined to be a sprinter’s delight.” Cavendish has won before in Sacramento and this one will be particularly delicious.

Feel the podium now — Cav on stage with the leaders’ jersey of the Tour of California, spraying champagne and throwing out pistachios. That’s a photo-op. Meanwhile Kittel will be back at the team bus taking a spoonful of cough medicine.